Free Republic

I know that HIPAA requires compliance from health providers and health insurance providers. It requires them to request that WE sign away our control over the privacy of our personal health records. It requires the establishment of a national database of health information about each of us and requires providers to share that data with others especially with government agencies for "official government purposes." It requires that the national database of individuals' health information be readily linked with the existing national database of individuals' financial records through the Social Security Number. Somehow I just won't feel comfortable when President Hillary!...

HIPAA, the stringent new federal medical-privacy law, took effect in April, and soon had what may be some rather drastic unintended consequences in the town of Craig, Colo.: "To protect the privacy of those needing medical help, 911 dispatchers stopped mentioning residents' names in radio calls to emergency response teams. That made it more difficult for the teams to find addresses," which critics charge may have contributed to the death of a local heart attack victim. Moreover, thousands of doctors "have stopped sending out appointment-reminder postcards, figuring the cards could be read by someone other than the patient. Some doctors...

Whether you know it or not you now have a medical identification number. I just received a copy of an in-house memo from an employer concerning HIPAA Compliance. It states, "Attached is a privacy notice that (name of company) is required to provide to you based upon a new health privacy law entitled the (print following in bold) Health Insurance Portabality and Accountability Act or HIPAA for short. If you have acquired medical services or filled a prescription in the past two days, you have probably been given a similar notice by the provider. You do not need to take...

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed by Congress in 1996 to set a national standard for electronic transfers of health data. At the same time, Congress saw the need to address growing public concern about privacy and security of personal health data. The task of writing rules on privacy eventually fell to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). After several modifications, DHHS issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The Privacy Rule is effective on April 14, 2003, for most health care providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses. Small plans have until April 14,...

Contributing Editor: Health Sciences Institute e-Alert, 4/14/2003 Orwell Redux If you're a U.S. citizen, as of today you now have a medical identification number. Some will tell you that your new ID number helps protect your privacy. And while to some extent it does, the protections are largely superficial. The disturbing truth is that your medical privacy is now beyond your control. Just sign here... The next time you visit your doctor, you may notice some changes. For instance, you might see privacy screens placed around the edges of computer monitors to prevent someone from glancing at your personal medical...

Excuse the vanity, but I had to take my kid to the pediatrician today, then had to go to the pharmacy, and I had my first direct experience with the new medical privacy regulations known as HIPAA. I didn't have to fill out that many forms and answer that many questions to mortgage a house. And all the stuff they were doing ... hoods over the computers lest any nosy person see any private info, marking out names with a huge black marker on the signout sheet lest any nosy person see anyone else's name, a "wall" that no one...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (HIPAA Wire) A Minnesota state judge ruled Dec. 1 to permit the state’s Health Department to collect medical records on almost every state citizen, according to the Associated Press. Administrative law judge Allan Klein agreed with the Minnesota Health Department that collecting medical data would aid researchers who study disease clusters throughout the state, a decision that came as a shock to groups who feel the ruling means patient privacy in the state has hit a brick wall. But an official with the Health Department said the risk to patient privacy is minimal compared to the benefits...